Nigeria: Lassa Fever Outbreak - Jan 2019

Ongoing

Glide: EP-2019-000012-NGA

Overview

On 21 January 2019, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) declared an outbreak of Lassa fever following an increase in the number of cases. From 01 to 27 January 2019, a total of 213 confirmed cases including 41 deaths were reported from sixteen states (Edo, Ondo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Plateau, Taraba, Gombe, Anambra, Kaduna, Kwara, FCT, Benue, Rivers, Nassarawa and Kogi States) across 40 Local Government Areas (LGAs). This represents a significant increase in the number of cases reported compared to at the same period in 2018. With the outbreak confirmed, WHO intensified its technical assistance to State and Federal authorities in investigation and response to the outbreak. (WHO, 1 Feb 2019)

The number of confirmed cases reported across Nigeria remains high. In week 6, 2019 (week ending 10 February 2019), 37 new confirmed cases including 10 deaths (case fatality ratio = 27%) were reported from nine states across Nigeria. The majority of cases were reported from Ondo (12) and Edo (10) states. The number of confirmed cases reported in week 6, 2019 represents a slight decrease compared to week 5 when 68 confirmed cases were reported. (WHO, 14 Feb 2019)